Setup CloudFlare DNS on Ubuntu 16.04 | 17.10 | 18.04 Desktop

Few days ago, Cloudflare launched its own DNS service promising to be fast, secure and more focus on privacy than any other DNS services available today for consumer… and it will be free… If you subscribe to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) like Comcast, Century Link and others, your computers are probably assigned DNS servers automatically from your ISP..

Although the speed benefit Cloudflare is offering might not be a big factor as compare to Google and other well known DNS providers, a private and secure DNS service might be appealing to many privacy conscious folks out there…

If what Cloudflare is saying about the privacy benefits of its DNS systems is true, then you may want to take advantage of that…

This brief tutorial shows students and new users now to configure Ubuntu desktop to use Cloudflare fast and more secure DNS service..

To configure Ubuntu desktop with Cloudflare DNS service, continue with the steps below

Step 1: Open Ubuntu Network Manager

On Ubuntu desktop, Network Manager helps manage network settings… Click on the system menu and select system settings…

Then go to Network as shown in the image below… and select the Setting button for the network device you’re using to connect to the Internet… this could be a Wired or Wi-Fi connection type… If you have both network interfaces (Wired and Wi-Fi), then you’ll have to do this twice…

When the Interface configuration page opens, select both IPv4 and IPv6 and turn off automatic DNS IP settings… then type the custom Cloudflare DNS IP addresses you want to use…

Step 2: Add Cloudflare DNS IPs

On the Interface configuration page, turn off Automatic DNS configuration… then type the Cloudflare DNS IPs… You should select the both IPv4 and IPv6 tabs and enter Cloudflare DNS IP addresses…

The format is shown below:

IPv4 IPs

1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1

IPv6 IPs

2606:4700:4700::1111, 2606:4700:4700::1001

When you’re done, click the green Apply button to save your changes…

You can configure individual computer DNS setting… however, the best way is to change the DNS configuration at the router’s level… adding Cloudflare DNS on your router ensures that all the devices connected to your router will automatically be configured with Cloudflare’s DNS IP addresses..

That’s it! Your devices should have the fastest and more private DNS systems…

Thank you. You are about the only one who can show this for gui instructions. I’m a long time windows network and sys admin and only on linux a year or so. Could never find out about about the “automatic” toggle in the dns gui setting until thx again.

And, btw those cloudflare are fast as heck, Been using them a couple months and a noticeable change in speed on linux, windows, and android.